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Saturday, March 4, 2017

Right Here in River City (Walk)

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: So--yesterday? We all boarded the tiniest plane in the universe in Phoenix, for the one hour flight to Santa Barbara. We buckle in, we stash our stuff. I try to indicate to the guy sitting next to me that I am not interested in chatting.Yeah, I know. But I had to work.Then, the pilot comes on the PA.He says "We have a little situation." He says: "Apparently, LAX is reorganizing its flight patterns. Which, they're telling me, will have an effect on flights into regional airports.(Like where we're going, Santa Barbara.)He says: so it looks like we'll have a bit of a delay.TWO AND A HALF HOURS.We are ON THE PLANE.The energy in the passengers plummeted. Thudded to earth so profoundly I'm surprised the plane didn't sink into the tarmac.When they announced we'd only be 90 minutes late, we were thrilled.(Remember that in your next marketing class.)But! Santa Barbara, when we finally arrived, is gorgeous. GORGEOUS! I don't mind the delay..as long as I can be here.So it's perfect that Nancy West is here to talk about another fabulous destination. WITH a giveaway! (oh, someone wins Brunonia Barry's THE FIFTH PETAL. I'll post soon.) But now, without delay :-)-- another wonderful destination.

The San Antonio River WalkBut is it: TOO IDYLLIC FOR MURDER?

By Nancy G. West

Aggie Mundeen, author of the
column “Stay Young with Aggie,” is single and pushing hard against forty. She’s
fearless until she thinks about aging, which drives her into a cold sweat. She
moved from Chicago to San Antonio a couple years ago to start over, and worked
out at Fit and Firm to shape up before anybody learned she wrote the staying-young
column. Things went swimmingly until she saw a girl floating face down in the
pool. (Fit to Be Dead) Naturally, she
tried to help and wound up involved in a murder investigation, made more
palatable by the arrival of SAPD Detective Sam Vanderhoven.

I, her author, was blissfully
writing a suspense novel when Aggie, a supporting character, wormed her way
into my brain and demanded that I write about her. It seems she had ideas about
helping the San Antonio detective with future investigations, which would
require multiple stories.

After the health club
investigation, Aggie convinced Sam to accompany her and a friend on a dude
ranch vacation in the Texas Hill Country, incognito
so he wouldn’t put a damper on their fun. Their getaway morphed into murderous Home on the Range. (Dang Near Dead) The
threesome managed to oust the snake-in-the-topsoil and set things right. In the
process, Aggie and Sam learned to work together. After a fashion.

When Aggie heard a San
Antonio university professor would teach a course on the effects of genetics on
aging, she blasted to the campus to register. Unfortunately, she discovered a
dead academic. (Smart, But Dead) Sam
cautioned her to avoid the investigation. But dangerously curious and
programmed to prod, she raced to solve the crime, wound up prime suspect and
was on target to become next campus corpse.

Aggie’s brush with oblivion
made her and Sam realize they truly cared for one another despite their contentious
approaches to crime solving. Perhaps they were ready for a long weekend
together away from the distraction of felonious deeds. But where? A cruise? Skiing
in the mountains? An escape to Tahiti?

Why not a hotel on the San
Antonio River Walk? Aggie was right there in River City, but she’d never
lingered on the River Walk for an extended stay (so far as I knew). Not with
Sam.

They could marvel at the history
of how a river came to ramble through the heart of a city. How did La Villita,
the original little city, come to be perched alongside the river? How did
Arneson River Theater find a resting place on one side of a meandering river while
its theater seats hovered across the water on the other bank? What was the
story behind three bells that hung behind the Arneson stage?

River City was also Military
City, USA with its multiple military bases and active duty personnel. How were
these thousands discharged into the active life of a thriving city? What was
the significance of Day-of-the-Dead skulls that popped up at Fiesta events?

What started Fiesta Week, the
annual citywide party, that began a hundred years earlier? Was it true the
event began with ladies tossing flower petals at a visiting president and that
the parade grew to be the largest procession run exclusively by women?

What if crime descended on
the hotel, bursting with conventioneers, where Aggie and Sam met? With thousands
of Fiesta Week revelers in River City, suspects were everywhere. Aggie and Sam
had avenues to explore and challenges to face. Right there in River City.

------------

I’m delighted to give a copy
of RIVER CITY DEAD to one interested commenter.What intrigues you about the San Antonio River Walk?

HANK: Or, Reds, what city are you in love with? River City Dead to one lucky commenter!

(I am still in the amazing Santa Barbara--at a wonderful event--I will check in when I can! Whoa. Time Zones.)

Nancy G. West was a
University of Texas business major who decided that writing mysteries was more
fun than accounting and decided to pursue an MA in English literature.

RIVER CITY DEAD is the fourth
book in her award-winning series. She lived in Missouri, Kansas and Florida but
has spent the most time in San Antonio.

Advice
columnist Aggie Mundeen and SAPD Detective Sam Vanderhoven plan their first
rendezvous at a San Antonio River Walk hotel during Fiesta Week—sumptuous
sights, sounds, and festivities in the middle of America’s Venice. A vacation
from crime and a reset for their tumultuous relationship. But murder descends
on Casa Prima Hotel. Disturbing revelations surface about Aggie’s new friends
holding a convention, the Fabulous Femmes. Evil emerges at parties in La
Villita. Calamity plagues Aggie’s debut dance performance at Arneson River
Theater, the celebration skewed by carousing, crazies, and corpses. Even in
idyllic River City, crime complicates relationships.

45 comments:

“River City Dead” sounds absolutely delightful, Nancy . . . I’m looking forward to reading it and having the opportunity to meet Aggie and Sam.

I’ve never been to San Antonio, so I’ve never seen the River Walk but your description and pictures certainly make it come alive. The idea of a theater on one side of the river and the seats on the other intrigues me, as does the thought of having a river run through the city in the first place . . . .

Ooooo! I love the River Walk, especially La Villita! Once, when I was down there to man a booth in the convention center, I walked to work early every morning and had the delightful experience of watching the Riverwalk wake up. It was July, and the streets above were already baking, so I reveled in the cool air from the river and was fascinated to watch all the local folks prepping the restaurants, shops, and river boats for the day's tide of tourists. I suppose that's me, though. Seeing what goes on "backstage" is always more fun than watching the show the tourists see. Whenever I visit a new city, I like to stay in a place where I can get into the rhythms of the locals, drinking tea at a non-Starbucks coffee shop in Hamilton, NY, walking my dog as the art students straggle into their first classes at the Kansas City Art Institute, or checking out the pozole at an off-the-plaza breakfast joint in Santa Fe. Every city is memorable when you can see it through the eyes of the folks who love it.

Nancy, I saw you on a panel last year at Left Coast Crime and the minute you started talking, I knew you and Texas were friendly. Ha! I'm from Austin and so San Antonio and the River Walk are familiar to me, though not as familiar as our own 'weird' city up I-35. I have your first book in this series and look forward to reading it and all the rest of them. They sound perfect for me and I love being able to recognize points of interest. Will you ever set one at the Alamo or might your characters take a trip to Austin? Just curious. Good luck and saying 'hey' from not far to the north!

Thank you, Kay. I wish you had come up to say 'hello.' I don't know about the Alamo. There have been films about it, and now the city has decided to upgrade the surrounding area so it's a better historical experience. Go figure. I went to college there and love the hilly areas of Austin, but the drive through Austin on IH-35 is downright scary. Who knows what Aggie might do next.

Well, I'm coming to Malice this year and think I saw you would be there. I'll definitely make a point of introducing myself and I can also pick up RIVER CITY DEAD, right? It's been a long time since I visited the Alamo, so I haven't seen the new upgrade. As to IH-35 and Austin, don't even get me started. Traffic in the Austin area period is out of control. We actually live north of Austin, close to Georgetown. Much better, but growing fast.

Hank, thank you for the interview with Nancy! Did you meet Nancy at Malice? Santa Barbara is beautiful when you do not have to look at the oil rigs or are they gone now?

Nancy, welcome to Jungle Reds! I met you briefly at my first Malice last year!

Wish I had bought your books at Malice because I cannot find your books anywhere (library or bookstores)!

Hope to see your books in the library or bookstores so that I can buy a copy! I have read about the River Walk in the travel section of the paper.

Wonder why your character is so terrified of aging. Is it because people in her family died young or is it because the older members of her family had chronic medical issues? Or is it that her career as a model / actress / or a career in a field that demands youth is at risk?

Aggie is terrified of aging because she's nearing a milestone in her life, is single, and she's been so busy working, she feels life is passing her by without her having fully lived it. Plus, that's one of her quirks. Another is that when her curiosity is aroused, her feet itch. I'm sorry you've had trouble finding my books. If you request them at your library, they'll usually order them. A bookstore can always order them for you, and they're available online (links above.) The publisher will have books at Malice, too. Be sure and say 'hello' so we can visit!

Nancy. it is more likely that I cannot make it to Malice this year. However, I plan to attend Bouchercon in Canada.

Hank! I forgot to mention the cities! I loved London and Edinburgh. Are Oxford and Cambridge cities or towns? Loved these places too. A favorite in Santa Barbara area is Solvang with its Danish / Cbristmas themes.

Welcome Nancy and hook 'em horns, from another UT graduate, Arlington campus tho. I love San Antone, one of my favorite cities, right after Paris and San Francisco. I have down many a Margaritas on the River Walk to the sounds and sights of mariachi bands and flamenco dancers.

Hank, you may add Santa Barbara into that list of best cities in the world. Isn't it gorgeous? Have you visited the mission yet? Had cioppino in a beach dive? Frozen your toes in the Pacific? Do you have time for a short drive up PCH to visit Hearst Castle? Mid-coast California is a reasonably well-kept secret. Not many people and scenery for days. Trust me. I am a nurse.

Finta, it sounds like you're the perfect person to come party in San Antonio!And it sounds like I need to go to Santa Barbara. I have see the Heart Castle, though. The drive up PCH was scary, but the views were fantastic.

Ann/Finta is right about mid-coast California! Very near the Hearst Castle (which was closed the day we stumbled onto it, but we could still roam part of the grounds) we saw an enormous group of equally enormous elephant seals, lolling and squabbling on the beach. My favorite towns in that area are Laguna Beach and San Luis Obispo, which also has a (smaller) river walk.

There are so many cool places in the world, and so little time to travel to them. Thank goodness for books, and for writers with incredible skills of description! I've always wanted to visit the San Antonio River Walk, and now even more so. First, the book!

Hi everyone! Yes, Santa Barbara is completely beautiful… even The light is different here. They call it Mediterranean, and it is all glowing and golden. Welcome 'Nancy! And everyone… I am rushing like crazy today… So I will come back ehen my event is over!

Let me say quickly to Lucy… You were 40, not too long ago :-) But I know it is not the same now. I try to think of someone I know who was that age, and see how they behave and feel. Or take yourself back to a time when you were that age, and remember your hopes and fears and dreams.

Hi Nancy! Waving from Houston. We've some much older friends who recently retired to an Air Force village in S.A. so we've been traveling there more often than usual. I've always loved the River Walk. It has a wonderful tropical feel to it even in the middle of winter. Wonderful hotels and restaurants, plus some pretty schlocky ones. You can walk along the river and pop up onto the street level to visit the Alamo or have a drink in the historic bar of the haunted Menger Hotel where Teddy Roosevelt recruited for his rough riders. I love old cities and San Antonio is as close as we can get in Texas. And listen to Nancy! Do not visit in the summer! It is utterly miserable. I'll be looking for the Aggie books, but what an unfortunate name. . .

I've never been to San Antonio, but your descriptions of River Walk are so enticing, Nancy, it'll have to go on my travel list. I do sympathize with Aggie's horror of aging. I'm thirty-nine, and am dreading the end of October when I turn forty. Thirty was bad enough, but forty. . . Oh no!

Well, I know the feeling, Nupur. But the anticipation is much worse than the reality. And just think, with great medical care and healthy living, you still have half your life, maybe two-thirds yet to go!

You're right, Nancy! I'm remembering now that thirty wasn't all that bad. I forgot to mention earlier that Santa Barbara, where Hank is, is simply gorgeous. But I'll always have a soft spot for Paso Robles-- a little place not too far from Hearst Castle. It's the perfect spot for a writer.

I was talking to someone about how I'm going to San Antonio soon for the Writers Workshop Retreat, and they told me I had to check out the River Walk. I had no idea what they were talking about, but after this post, it's definitely moving to the top of the list! Well, to the second spot, since number one is obviously to finish my WIP ^^

Favorite U.S. city might be Austin. My husband and I spent a few days there last year and absolutely loved it. Wouldn't mind living there some day.

Outside of the U.S., I absolutely love Busan, S. Korea. It's a port city/beach town and has such a fun energy.

Yes,Mia, you must visit the River Walk. I don't know when your Writers Workshop is, but the weather in San Antonio is cool now with intermittent sunshine. I'll be visiting shops in La Villita next week, adjacent to the river, so maybe they'll have RIVER CITY DEAD there. Good luck with your WIP. There are shady spots with benches riverside, a perfect place to write in the morning.

Welcome to Jungles Reds Nancy. I just checked hoopladigital.com. The first 3 books in this series are listed. I am sure River Walk Dead will up included soon. Love the mnemonic 'dead' you are using. It does succinctly identify the plot.

Was SA the first city to promote a river walk? Tampa, ever the copy cat, has one as well. May y'all walk it when you attend Bouchercon 2018.

Cities I am in love with? Seattle, Savannah, Wilmington NC, Fort Lonesome, for the name only - no one lives there, and any city where a JRW currently resides.

Coralee, thanks for letting me know about hoopladigital. River City Dead was published in January, so maybe it will be up soon. I'm glad you like the titles. I have fun thinking them up...trying to relate them to the plot.

I don't know if San Antonio was first with a river walk. Twenty-seven-year-old architect Robert Hugman first conceived the idea of developing a tropical paradise with shops, hotels and restaurants alongside the San Antonio River that ran through the city. But the Great Depression, city politics and WWII put the idea on hold. When the city created HemisFair, a smaller version of a world's fair for downtown in 1968, planners and developers saw the potential of developing the River Walk into a national attraction. It really took off, and the River Walk has been extended and improved ever since.

I can't wait to go to Tampa and St. Petersburg for Bouchercon 2018 and will definitely check out the Tampa Bay Riverwalk.

The San Antonio River Walk has been on my TBV list for such a long time, Nancy. I think your post here has pushed it up to the top three places in the states. Thanks for the advice on what months to visit. And, I'm looking forward to reading River City Dead as part of getting ready to visit the setting.

I love the River Walk - the restaurants, the shops, how it seems like it is its own little world in the midst of the city. It is just magical. So wonderful for you to be here, Nancy, to remind me of my love for it. I can't wait to read River City Dead.

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